Alcoholism Drug Helps Pathalogical Gamblers

Alcoholism drug helps pathalogical gamblers

Rick Nauert, Ph.D.

A new research study discovers a drug commonly used to treat alcohol addiction has a similar effect on pathological gamblers — it curbs the urge to gamble and participate in gambling-related behavior.

In the investigation, University of Minnesota scientists studied seventy-seven people in a double-blind, placebo controlled study.

Fifty-eight men and women took 50, 100, or 150 milligrams of naltrexone every day for 18 weeks.

Forty percent of the 49 participants who took the drug and completed the study, quit gambling for at least one month.

Their urge to gamble also significantly dropped in intensity and frequency. The other 19 participants took a placebo. But, only 10.5 percent of those who took the placebo were able to abstain from gambling.

Study participants were aged 18 to 75 and reported gambling for 6 to 32 hours each week.

Dosage did not have an impact on the results, naltrexone was generally well tolerated, and men and women reported similar results.

“This is good news for people who have a gambling problem,” said Jon Grant, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., a University of Minnesota associate professor of psychiatry and principal investigator of the study.

“This is the first time people have a proven medication that can help them get their behavior under control.”

The research is published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

Using a drug to treat addiction may seem ironic, but doctors say it can work. How? The drug blocks the brain receptor that may associate reward benefits with drinking. There are other drugs to help with alcohol addiction, but they have to be taken daily, and often with pretty harsh side effects like sweating, vomiting, and rapid heart beat.